“Hey Archer. I’ve been busy,” Brock said. “I see that you’re still holding it down out here.”
“Of course I am. Leo pays me well to bounce for him,” Archer replied, and then his gaze landed on her. “Busy indeed, eh?”
“Archer, this is Chelsey, my intended.”
“Lucky you.” Archer grinned. “So it’s true what they say then? The bad guy always gets the good girl.”
Brock chuckled. “I guess you can say that.”
“Um…nice to meet you,” she said, anxious to redirect the attention from herself to Brock.
They held a few minutes of light conversation before Brock excused himself by saying that he’d only stopped by to drop something off. He then led them to the far back corner of the deck. There was a sole male sitting at a large table big enough to seat four, but what was really strange to Chelsey was that he was the only one there. He was wearing a black hood that covered his eyes and his gaze was directed toward the table. Both of his hands were on his mug of beer. It almost looked like he was meditating or deep in thought about something. Odd…this wasn’t exactly the type of place Chelsey would think someone would go to meditate or seek solitude.
When Brock held out a chair for her to sit down, she realized that the lone man was Raoulf, Brock’s brother. Just as Brock took his seat, Raoulf lifted his attention, his gaze roaming back and forth between herself and Brock.
“Hello Brother,” Raoulf said, removing his hood. “You’re a little late.”
It was the first time that Chelsey had seen his full face and she didn’t know whether to run or blush. The man was dangerous-looking and attractive. Brock and his brothers had stellar genes, that was for sure.
“Yeah well, I wasn’t exactly in a rush to get here either,” Brock said.
“I can tell why,” Raoulf stated.
Other than the same facial structure and hardcore mannerisms, the two brothers had a lot of differences. Chelsey thought Brock was dark and mysterious, but after seeing Raoulf, she now deemed Brock a saint. Maybe because she knew that she could trust him now and that he was no longer a stranger. Or maybe it was because the contrast between the two brothers was like night and…midnight. She hadn’t been paying Brock’s brothers any mind during the aftermath of the raid on her dad’s home. Plus, they’d all been trying to hide their identities and wearing hoods similar to what Raoulf was wearing tonight.
Raoulf had jet black hair and brushed the top of his shoulders and eyes the color of jade. He had what looked like an old scar down the side of his face.
“Has my bro been giving you any problems, Chelsey,” Raoulf asked her.
“No…just the opposite actually,” she said.
“I bet,” he replied, and then turned back to Brock. “I talked to Dane this morning. He thinks he can handle situation number one, but in the meantime, I’ve been called to handle situation number two.”
“Hmmm, if it ain’t one thing it’s another,” Brock said.
"Yeah, exactly…" Raoulf's eyes landed on Chelsey again and his nose flared."And from the way I sense things, you've got a hell of a year coming up."
"So it seems," was Brock's quick reply. “Can you believe my luck?”
“I most certainly can. You deserve this,” Raoulf commented. “Did you bring it?”
Brock pulled out a black satchel from his leather coat pocket and pushed it across the table to Raoulf. Without looking at it or opening the satchel, Raoulf stuffed it into the inside of his jacket pocket.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Brock commented.
“You know me well enough not to question my strategies,” Raoulf replied.
Chelsey didn’t know what the heck they were talking about, but even if she were privy to any of their inside knowledge, she doubted that she’d understand. She had to remind herself that Brock was in an alternate line of work. And, of course, she’d never forget that he was more animal than he was human.
“I’d come with you, but now isn’t a good time.”
Raoulf flipped his hood back over his head. “No brother, don’t explain anything. I understand completely about who and what you must cherish now.”
His green eyes paused on her for a while before landing on the table again. He tilted his mug of beer to his lips and guzzled it down in just a few gulps. “Time for me to go,” he said. “Too many eyes in this direction now that my famous brother has arrived.”
“Well, I just can’t help it. I’m just that dashing,” Brock joked.
“And I’m the rebel without a cause.” Raoulf rose and grabbed his helmet. “Tell Dane I’m outta here, will ya?”
“Take care, little brother.”
“Ditto.”
Raoulf left the area, leaving Chelsey and Brock alone at the table.
“Well, that was…interesting,” she said. “But I had no idea what you were talking about. You were speaking in codes.”
He grasped her hand in his. “Someday, I’ll tell you all about it, but the rest of this night is about us. Remember what I told you?”
“Yeah,” she said, then leaned over to meet his lips with hers. The kiss was short and sweet, leaving her wanting more.
Somehow she managed to forget about where they were to focus on what she needed the most. Brock lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather and sat her on his lap. Her sex pulsed against his arousal and her lips burned as he kissed her hungrily over and over again. They were so absorbed in the taste and feel of one another that they barely noticed when a panicked hush fell over the crowd. Police sirens blared in the distance, growing louder as they approached the nightclub. Only then did they pull back from their intimate embrace. A couple of folks began to flee the area. One took off on his motorcycle and a handful took to the dense woods behind the building. The police cars coming to a screeching halt near the club must have been the backup because several un-informed and armed policeman rushed onto the deck.
“Everybody freeze! Stay where you are. Hands up and don’t make any sudden moves. That includes transforming if you happen to be a shifter. Just don’t do it.”
She’d never had a gun pointed at her and fear forced her to remain still as the policeman had ordered. She was still straddling Brock’s lap, but the heat between them had vanquished and all that remained was Brock’s frustration and her fear and confusion.
“Dammit,” Brock muttered behind her.
“What’s going on?” she asked Brock between clenched teeth as the cops began I.D.ing everyone left out on the deck.
“I have no idea,” he replied.
“Hey! You two!” a cop shouted at them. “Separate.”
Slowly, Chelsey removed herself from Brock’s lap and turned around only to find herself face to face with one of her dad’s friends and colleagues. His eyes narrowed and a flash of recognition crossed over his face.
“Chelsey?” he croaked.
“Detective Paulman?”
“What are you doing at this nightclub?” Mr. Paulman’s attention shifted from her to Brock who hadn’t moved a muscle since the gun had been pointed at him.
She swallowed. “Um…” How did she explain the impossible to a man who wouldn’t understand?
“Your ID?” the detective demanded of Brock.
“I’ve done nothing,” Brock said, flatly.
“We just got here. We were just sitting here. What’s going on?” Chelsey asked.
“It doesn’t look like you were just sitting here,” he stated. “We’re looking for a jewelry thief. A witness claims to have spotted the suspect here.”
“Just in case you’ve noticed, pal, I don’t exactly have a bag of jewelry lying around anywhere,” Brock offered.
“ID,” the detective demanded once again.
Brock grumbled in indifference but produced his ID anyway.
“Brock Justice,” the detective made a quick gesture to another cop behind him. “Cuff him.”
“What the hell?” Chelsey exclaimed.
“W
hat the hell, indeed. Does your dad know you’re out here with a shifter and a criminal?”
The cop grabbed hold of Brock and just like the detective ordered, applied handcuffs.
“Please, stop! What are you doing? He’s been with me all evening. He’s not the jewelry thief.”
“No, he’s not. But he’s damn sure worse than a jewelry thief.” He turned to Brock. “Brock Justice, you’re under arrest for trespassing, theft, and vandalism. You have the right to remain silent…”
“Everything will be fine, Chelsey,” Brock reassured her as he was read his rights. “It’s nothing new for me. You just stay strong.”
“But you’re…” Before she could finish her sentence, a cop shoved him forward and led him away from the deck.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“My job. I do believe I owe it to Governor Canon to let him know what kind of trouble you’ve attracted. You’re coming with me,” Detective Paulman stated, taking her by the arm.
“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
“Honey, I don’t think I want to know, but I do know that I want to keep my job. Your dad’s a friend of mine, but he can also cut me off from my check. I have an obligation to steer you away from this place. Let’s go.”
Chapter Eleven
“Are you out of your mind, Chelsey?” Her dad ran his fingers through his hair and sighed harshly. “You were at a shifter nightclub?”
“Yes. So what? It was a nightclub. I go to them all the time on campus. Does it matter who owns it?” she replied.
“Theoretically, yes,” he countered. “I don’t know any of these people and, quite frankly, the security is a little lax. There’s an ongoing criminal investigation involving this club right now. What does concern me is Paulman’s account of how he found you.”
He scoffed and then continued, “He said you were in a very intimate position with this man. Do you know those shifters sold sexual services out of the back of this joint? How could you even go there to begin with?”
Her dad’s accusations and questions had gotten out of hand. She was seriously overwhelmed at this point, and the fact that Brock was arrested and she was somehow held here to be questioned made the whole situation worse.
“Look, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“Is this why you wanted me to make a deal with the Alpha of the Aspen Valley Wolf Pack? So you can be with this guy?”
“I asked you to do this because your reasons for following through with eminent domain proceedings are very unethical. Even if they were my enemies, I wouldn’t wish for them to lose their homes because of one greedy corporation.”
“This is insane and very embarrassing,” her dad exclaimed. “Do you know that Paulman asked me if you were working at the nightclub as a sex worker?”
“What business is it of his if I was working there or not? I went to enjoy myself.”
“Enjoy yourself? With your legs wrapped around a man several years older than you?”
“He and I…are dating.” If she told her dad that she was presumably a shifter’s intended mate, he’d flip out right where he stood. She had a right to choose her own boyfriend and lover, but what she didn’t appreciate was being reprimanded at the local police station like she was a common criminal for making out with him and minding her own damn business.
“I’ll explain everything to you soon,” she added. “I’m sick of the third-degree treatment from both you and your detective friend. Even if I knew every single detail about Brock, I wouldn’t tell them anything. I asked them for a lawyer. I wasn’t expecting you to come here and bail me out.”
“I’m glad you know your rights, but I’m your father and you’ll explain everything to me right now starting with how you got involved with the same man whose brother wants to dictate how I handle my business.”
Chelsey sat back in the uncomfortable chair and diverted her attention to the drab gray cinder block walls. “You wouldn’t understand if I told you how.”
“Oh, I’ll understand completely if you’re straightforward because right now you’re not being straightforward.” He slid a manila folder across the table to her. “Your trouble-making, shifter boyfriend has a rap sheet bigger than the size of this County. Thank God none of this has reached the press. You can also thank Detective Paulman for that. He’s managed to keep the reporters away.”
She swallowed but didn’t move to look inside the folder.
“I’m also highly suspicious of why you’re suddenly interested in this eminent domain case. I thought I could make a deal with Mr. Dane Magnus like two civilized beings, but I don’t think that’s going to happen now that I know that one of his brothers has been playing games with my daughter.”
“It’s not like that. We’re not playing games, dad,” she replied. “And you’re not telling me anything that I don’t already know. I got involved with him because I wanted him.”
Her dad’s eyes bulged. “So you know that this guy is a criminal and you’re hanging out with him willingly?”
“Whatever he’s done in the past, I don’t care.”
“Take a look.” He gestured toward the unopened folder on the table.
This wasn’t supposed to end up this way. She didn’t want to learn about Brock by flipping through his criminal records.
“Not only is this guy a seasoned criminal, he’s also an outlaw. Nothing good could come of any relationship with him.”
“You’ve never even spoken to him or asked his side of the story!”
“Now that I know what he’s capable of, I’m not sure I want to. Aren’t you concerned about your reputation?”
“If having the kind of reputation you’d like me to have means that I’m going to be miserable trying to defend it for the rest of my life, then no, I’m not concerned about what others think of me.”
Her dad sighed heavily and folded his arms over his chest. He then rubbed at his chin before saying, “I called Priscilla while I was waiting to come speak with you. She seems to be on board with my decision that you stop seeing this criminal immediately.”
“How dare you two discuss my personal relationship behind my back? Just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m an adult. I’ll be twenty-three soon and I have no intentions of moving back home.”
“What you don’t understand is that your reputation isn’t the only thing on the line?”
“You should be concerned with your own reputation as it stands,” she countered.
He pointed at the folder on the table. “And you’re not concerned about his reputation then?”
At his inquiry, she looked down at the table and ran her eyes quickly over the documents and list of accusations and charges against Brock Justice.
Assault. Trespassing. Petty theft. Aggravated kidnapping. Grand theft. Resisting arrest.
She slapped the folder close and pushed it back across the table. She couldn’t read anymore.
“Tell the Detective to release me from custody. It’s against the law to hold me here without charge,” she stated.
“It wasn’t the Detective’s idea to hold you here, Chelsey. It was mine. I needed to make sure the man in the next holding room hadn’t kidnapped you against your will. They’re known for doing that.”
Chelsey swallowed a gasp and then spoke once she’d regained her composure. “Now that you know he hasn’t been holding me against my will, you can let him go.”
“No. Unh-uh. It won’t be that easy for him. Mr. Brock Justice already had a warrant out for his arrest,” he said.
“A warrant for what?”
“Disarming and assaulting a police officer.” Her dad pushed the file folder back over and flipped a few pages before stabbing his finger on the center of a paper.
Her gaze flew across the details. “It says here that Brock was at a friend’s house when he got into a fight with the officer. After the altercation, he shifted and fled the area.”
“Go on. You’re missing per
tinent facts.”
“It says…” She stopped cold when her eyes reached the damning evidence. “Oh…” She read on…
The victim (Officer Ferrell) claims that the suspect, Brock Justice, engaged in sexual relationships with his wife on several occasions. Office Ferrell was off duty but in uniform at the time of the altercation. Injury report attached.
“So there you have it? Your shifter boyfriend lacks moral judgment. I haven’t been the greatest husband in the world to your mom and I’m working on that. I’ve seen how I’ve hurt her and wouldn’t want the same heartache for you. I agree that you’re an adult, but I’m still responsible for what happens to my daughter. It’s up to you to take what you can from this and make an informed decision.”
Chelsey swallowed. “I just want to leave.”
“Before you go, I’ll need you to sign something for me,” her dad stated. “Apparently, Brock has called his lawyer and they’re waiting in the other room to discuss a deal.”
“A deal?” Her breath quickened as confusion set in.
“Several deals actually. It’s quite simple.” Her dad rose from his seat. “I’ll get Detective Paulman to let them know we’re ready.”
Anxiety rose in her chest. “Ready for what?”
“To fix this mess.”
Chapter Twelve
Chelsey walked over to the other holding room with her dad, the family lawyer, and a member of the city’s council. She was in a state of denial about everything that had happened tonight. One of the best weeks of her life had proven to be both unpredictable and eye-opening. Yes, she’d gotten her man, but it seemed that everything was working against them to try to keep them apart.
Brock, Dane, and an older male she didn’t recognize were already in the other room. Some legal papers and a few pens were in the center of the table waiting for them. Brock was still in handcuffs. The moment she entered the room their gaze met, and despite the mute expression on Brock’s face, his eyes lit up. All she wanted was to leave this place with Brock. What her dad saw was a hopeless criminal, but in Brock, she witnessed a soft-hearted man capable of love and being loved. Brock was a man who fought hard for whom and what he wanted, even if it meant having his reputation burned in the process.
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